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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Session V: Beneath the Tower of Zenopus

The Fall of Arvin Ardmore, acolyte of Mithra

It has been well over a month since out last gaming session. There has been much going on with everyone's personal lives and holidays and all, that it was really impossible to squeeze any gaming in. So when the time came for us to regroup once again, everyone was quite ready for some dice throwing role-playing adventure. Oh, and we had our first character death this session which you can read about here and here.

When we last left our party, they had just finished off an attacked by a trio of crypt crawlers. They explored the large chamber with a channel of deep running water cutting through it. Sending a lit arrow across the water they discovered that the channel was over 50 feet wide and that there was a landing on the other side. After discussing that this channel may be used by the pirates and trying to figure out a way to get across but not coming up with anything, they decided to leave the chamber from the way they had come and continue down the hall.

At the end of the hall the party found steps leading down to a door. Throwing caution to the wind, they entered the room. Inside was a stone throne ornately carved from the floor and walls itself. Opposite the throne was a gong floating between two stone pillars.

Tero, of the town watch (skillfully played by Max, whose regular PC, Slick Vinny the Medium was back at the Cloven Hoof Tavern studying his treasures and spells), wanted to press on and discover what Sgt. Morak was up to and possibly find a clue to Capt. Conik's whereabouts. The others explored the throne and gong. They all felt that the gong and the chair were connected and speculated on what would happen if one was to sit in the chair while the gong was hit. Death, teleportation, or increased skills were all discussed.

Tero was getting anxious to get moving once again but as Gedleessmote the dwarf sat in the chair, Skwanky the halfling, in a fit of mischief tapped the gong, and in a rippling of reality, the Dwarf was gone! Much yelling at the halfling ensued and it was decided that one by one they would each sit in the throne and be dealt the same fate as the dwarf, but Tero wanted nothing to do with this and instead wanted to press on. As the debate when on, one by one each character sat on the throne and disappeared until Tero was the only one left.

Tero pressed on by himself and opened the opposite door to find the hint of damp salty air coming from the natural stone southern passage. He followed to the opening and heard voices coming from the large cave. Fearing that he would face alone what was beyond, he quickly made it back to the throne and tossing a dagger at the gong, felt an odd sensation as the world around him warped and twisted and he was pulled beyond.....

Gedleessmote the dwarf found himself in a pitch-black room. Lighting a torch, he found that he was standing in the middle of a 15 foot circle scrawled on the floor in chalk. As he explored the room, one by one his companions appeared with Skwanky wanting to 'ride the throne' again.

Heading through one of the openings they found an open chamber. As four skeletons charged at them from the darkness, Tero materialized in the center of the magic circle just as a zombie burst through the opposite door.

Arvin held the skeletons at bay with his symbol of Mithra while Tero battled with the Zombie. The skeletons were beaten back and the zombie was finished off with the help of Gedleessmote and Skwanky (who accidentally pegged an annoyed Tero with a slung stone).

Exploring the hallway from where the zombie cam from they entered a chamber where they had been once before. The chamber with the 3 stone statues and where they had fought the buccaneer captain and chased the wizard down a secret passage. They knew where they were once again!

Pressed by Tero, they quickly retraced their steps and made their way back through the gong room (having to drag Skwanky through) to the opening into the large chamber. Peering around the the corner they saw an expansive natural sandy cave with a shoreline and an underground lake. Pulled up on the shore were three rowboats. One had two pirates sitting in it, outside another there was little Jack tied up. There were two pirates digging a hole in the sand. Across the chamber was Sgt. Morak and two of the town watch talking with a half-naked man hanging by chains from a large outcropping of rock. The man was none other than Capt. Conik!

It was decided that Tero would pretend to have captured the Halfling snooping around and was bringing him down to Morak while the others would slip around behind the rocks and try to ambush the pirates by surprise. When Tero stepped out with the halfling and announced himself, the pirates and guards were taken by surprise. The watchguards stepped forward towards Tero as Morak ordered the guards to kill the two witnesses.

Just then, from hiding, Tibag and Gedleessmote let fly their arrows surprising the two guards. Two of the pirates let fly their crossbow bolts hitting Tero and the halfling in the backs as they tried to run back to the cave opening. The dwarf and half-elf fired their arrows, killing the two pirates digging in the sand and pinning down the two guards. Morak raised his sword and killed the helpless Watch Captain and makes for one of the boats. Meanwhile, Arvin, lighting a flask of oil, with Wolfheir run around the rocks to try and outflank Morak and the guards. Arvin lets fly his flask, missing the first boat but igniting the second, setting ablaze one of the pirates who splashes into the water dead. Tero rushes back to the last pirate to make him surrender. Tibag fires arrows at Morak while Wolfheir and Arvin engage in melee, with Wolfheir taking on the two guards and Arvin fighting the treacherous Sergent. It is a savage battle and the viking was close to death before defeating one of his foes. Gedleesmote rushes to aid his companions.

The pirate, surrendering, helps a woman out of the burning boat. Lord Osric's daughter Lemunda! Skwanky and Tero helps the woman ashore. Morak and Arvin battle. Arvin is knocked back into the water and, Sgt. Morak, towering above him, delivers a fatal blow, killing the cleric. Tero yells to his fellow watch member to surrender, his cause lost. The watchman, seeing that he is becoming outnumbered, lashes out in anger at Morak who tumbles into the water. Wolfheir dives in after Morak and lifts him up in a full nelson that the Sergent tries in vain to break out of.

With Morak and his watch-guard companion and pirate captured, Lemunda in tears over the death of her beloved Conik, Wolfheir mourns the death of their brave companion, Arvin Ardmore, Acolyte of Mithra. Gedleesmote and Tibag lift two treasure chests out of the hole that the two pirates dug and discover the pirates booty.

Tibag exclaims that with Arvin dead, there's more treasure to go around!

Arvin's deatha dn that of the good Captain weigh heavily upon the mind of Gedleesmote The Dwarf. Surely this is a sign that our lackadazical bumbling through dungeons must improve to some measurable level of comptencey. Although Gedleesmote cart did come in handy, no?